worms in llamas

The prevention of worms by the use of good animal husbandry practices is the safest and least expensive method of assuring good livestock health. Here are a few helpful tips.

1. Rotating pastures every three weeks is a very effective method of preventing worms. Realize that not everyone has enough acreage to have effective three week rotation I would suggest making the pastures smaller and rotate as often as possible.

2. Be sure to check the dung piles on a weekly basis and look for worms. If your llamas have worms they will show up in the dung piles. This is often the only way to detect tape worms.

3. Be aware that some worms will live in the soil from year to year. Once you have a worm problem in your pasture it is likely you will always have the problem. Thus, routine worming is essential.

4. Worms need moisture to survive so during wet and warm periods consider worming more often. The months of May and June often require more frequent worming.

5. Worming is really done two ways, routine worming to prevent a worm problem and to treat a known case of worms. The size of the herd, acreage of pasture, and climate generally determine frequency of routine worming. A smaller pasture and a larger herd both require more frequent worming. Add a moist climate and it becomes even more important to establish a routine worming program. We have found that worming once a quarter is effective for the average herd unless there is a problem with meningeal worm. The Meningeal worm situation is addressed below in items 8 and 9. A diagnosed case of worms needs to be treated immediately with one of the medications listed below. Any llama with a heavy dose of worms should be treated again in three weeks to reduce any worms the first treatment may have missed. Tape worms can be a difficult problem to control. We usually treat them with Valbazen or Synanthic and repeat the treatment in 3 weeks. To better understand the life cycle of tape worms go to www.vetpath.usyd.edu.au/parasitology/tape/cestodes.htm.

6. If you suspect that your herd may have worms have your veterinarian run a fecal flotation. It is possible to see tape worms in a fecal floatation but they are frequently not seen. The best way to find them is to detect them in the dung pile. Seeing a llama with the runs is usually also a good indicator that they have worms and that they need to be treated accordingly.

7. A hard lesson learned has taught us not to worm females during the last three months of pregnancy. Worming during these three months greatly increases the incident of premature delivery or abortion. It is also not a good idea to worm females during the first three months of pregnancy especially with some of the more potent wormers. This too can cause pregnancy termination.

8. The issue of the meningeal worm is a control problem unto itself. For prevention, from a herd management prospective, keeping pastures dry and free of rotting wood reduces the habitat for the snail which is what the llamas ingest while grazing. Meningeal worm can also be prevented by inoculating with Dectomax at a dosage of 1cc per 66 pounds every 45 days. Studies have shown that Dectomax provides is effective for the entire 45 days.

9. The treatment of a diagnosed case of meningeal is an entirely different matter. The first indication of meningeal worm in a llama is generally neurological, portrayed by the llama walking in an unbalanced manner. The actual diagnosis can be confirmed by a veterinarian doing a spinal tap. According to Dr. David Anderson at The Ohio State University, the treatment for a confirmed case of meningeal is 20cc/per 100 lbs. of Panacur 10 % (or Safeguard 10 %) daily for five days, plus, 1cc/per 100 lbs. of Banamine (Flunuxin) twice a day for three days and then daily for two days. In addition, Dr. Anderson suggests giving 2cc/per 100 lbs. of Bose and 1cc/per 20 lbs. of Vitamin A. Vitamin E can be continued in the diet at 1000 units per day for 14 to 30 days.

10. Llamas and alpacas also often become infected with a Monezia type tape worm. Tape worms need to go through a portion of their life cycle in an intermediate host. These are common among ruminating species and the intermediate host is a pasture mite. The animals would have to ingest those mites. They are usually treated with Panacur (fenbendazole) (20 mg/kg daily for 5 days, then repeat in 2 to 3 weeks) or droncit (5 to 10 mg/kg once, then repeat in 2 to 3 weeks).

There are a number of wormers available that are effective on llamas. Although most wormers are not labeled for use on llamas here according to my veterinarian, Dr. Richard Ramseyer is a list of wormers that are effective along with their dosages. For most of these he suggested using the dosages labeled for cattle.

Ivomectin

This is a wormer that is available as an injectable, oral, or pour on but the pour on tends to burn the skin and does not appear to be very effective in llamas. The injection also lasts longer then the oral application. Ivomectin is effective for most worms including preventing meningeal but not for tape worms. It along with Dectomax is also effective for sucking lice. Treating lice in llamas was addressed in The Herdsman in the spring 2000 issue of Llama Banner. The recommended dosage for injection in llamas is 1cc per 66 pounds which is one and a half times the cattle dose. This medication is also available now in a generic form.

Ivomectin Gold

A relative new medication that is labeled to work for tape worms in horses but is unknown for the treatment of llamas. I would not try it on llamas.

Dectomax

Dectomax is a newer medication that is similar to Ivomectin. It is more comfortable (less painful) for the llama as an injection and lasts a full 45 days. This is the injection of choice for the prevention of meningeal worm. Dectomax is not effective for tape worms. The recommended dosage for injection in llamas is 1cc per 66 pounds which is one and a half times the cattle dose.

Safeguard (Panacur)

The only difference between Safeguard and Panacur is that Safeguard is available over the counter to the general public where Panacur is only available from a veterinarian. This wormer is safe and effective on almost all worms including the Monezia type of tape worm. It is the medication of choice for treating a confirmed case of meningeal worm. The dosage for routine worming in llamas is 2cc per 20 pounds (10cc per 100 pounds). The dosage for meningeal worm is described in item 9 above.

Valbazen

Valbazen is a very effective broad scope oral llama wormer including tape worms. This and Synanthic are the only two medications proven effective for tape worms in llamas. A word of caution however, we have learned from experience not to use it with bred females in the first 3 months or last 3 months of pregnancy. The oral dosage is the labeled cattle dose which is 4cc per 100 pounds.

Synanthic

This is another broad scope oral wormer that is one of the two along with Valbazen that is effective for tape worms in llamas. We have found this wormer to be very effective in difficult llama worm cases. Synanthic is also not recommended for use the last 3 months of pregnancy. The dosage is the labeled cattle dose which is 2.5cc per 110 pounds.

Strongid (Pyrental)

Pyrental is effective for round worms but is rarely used in llamas.

Strongid C

Here we have preventive wormer that is mixed with the daily feed. The recommended dosage is 1 oz per 165 pounds. However the llama must be completely worm free for this wormer to work. We very seldom see it used in llamas.

Corid (Amprolinm)

Corid is the medication of choice for coccidia. This is a liquid oral medication and the dosage is 1cc per 20 pounds for the first 5 days and then 1/2cc for the rest of the treatment period. The treatment is to be continued for 30 days or until the diarrhea is no longer evident.

Parasite control is an ongoing problem on most llama farms. The biggest contributing factor is the fact that most llama farms are hobby farms and thus there are too many llamas per acre. A periodic and routine worming program along with good pasture management goes a long way toward reducing the problem and maintaining good herd health.

3-04